Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact review: light in the hand, heavy on the wallet
Sony's consumer electronics division is in an ongoing state of flux. Having already given up on PCs and e-readers, the company recently pledged to make fewer TVs and smartphones in a bid to get its books back in the black. How Sony's strategizing will affect its output of tablets remains unclear, but no doubt a keen eye is being kept on the reception of its latest slate, the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact (don't let that mouthful of a moniker fool you -- Sony only classes the 8-inch tablet as "compact" to differentiate it from its two previous 10.1-inch devices). The company is renowned for the quality of its premium products, and like the two smartphones that make up the rest of the Z3 family, its newest tablet is a testament to that legacy. Cutting to the chase, it's an elegant and powerful device, but with prices starting at $445/£300, those credentials might not be enough to make you choose Sony over the competition.
Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact review
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Sony
Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact
PROS
- Thin and light design
- Stunning display
- Fast performance
- Long battery life
CONS
- Expensive compared to similarly sized flagship tablets
- Sony's Android skin feels dated
- Poor camera
SUMMARY
Sony's Z3 Tablet Compact is a well-made, thin and light device with a stunning display, brisk performance and robust battery life. Still, it's difficult to recommend at this price ($445 and up) when there are other thin and light flagship tablets that cost less, many of which offer higher-resolution screens and more capable cameras.
HARDWARE
Sony's experimented with quirky devices in the past, but these days it tends to take a distinctly no-nonsense approach to design. Similar to the other members of the Z3 range, the Tablet Compact has a deliberate, square profile, softened only by slight rounding of its corners and sides. Some might call it uninspiring or flat-out boring, but I regard it as stylishly simple. Where other manufacturers might use vibrant colors, clashing textures and a bit of imagination to attract buyers, Sony prefers an IP65/68 dustproof and waterproof rating alongside stainless steel corner guards for extra durability.
That's not to say it's completely lacking in design accents. Sony's signature aluminum power key is in attendance, and a purely ornamental dark gray border (silver on the white version) around the perimeter of the device serves to break up the rubbery plastic and tempered glass that dominate the back and front, respectively. Dotted along the edges, you'll find a volume rocker next to the power key, a 3.5mm headphone jack, Sony's magnetic dock connector and a couple of sealed cubbyholes: one for the micro-USB port and another protecting the microSD and nano-SIM slots (the latter only being present on the LTE model, of course).
The direction of the two silver Sony logos on either side of the tablet suggests it's meant to be used in portrait orientation. This is even clearer when you consider the high, central position of the main camera on the back of the device, as you have to be mindful of obstructing the lens when taking photos in landscape mode. Previous Z-series slates -- excluding the curious "tablet edition" of the Xperia Z Ultra -- have sported an almost symmetrical, picture-frame style of display bezel. With this new 8-inch effort, however, the left and right bezels are slim enough that I can grip the tablet firmly with just one hand. While that sounds convenient, it's actually more uncomfortable than it should be to use it this way.
The power key and volume rocker sit central on the tablet's right edge, and directly opposite is Sony's useless proprietary magnetic dock connector. When I'm grasping the slate with one hand, then, these features are in just the right spot to rub and scratch at my skin. Aside from this design oversight, the tablet is a joy to use, mostly because it's only 6.4mm thick (0.25 inch) and weighs 270g (9.5 ounces). That's even thinner and lighter than the latest iPad mini, which comes in at 7.5mm (0.29 inch) and 331g (11.7 ounces). The Z3 Compact is perfectly balanced and light enough that you can easily suspend it between your paws for extended periods of time without fatiguing; in fact, it's the only tablet I've used that hasn't had me wishing for a case to prop it up in right out of the box.
An unavoidable side effect of being so thin and light is that the tablet also feels a tad...delicate. Now, the device does bow to my twisting and flexing tests a little more than I'd like, but even then, I'm content with the overall build quality. In other words, I wouldn't choose to make it sturdier at the expense of size or weight. Also, the Z3 Tablet Compactis fully waterproof, after all, so it's not like Sony's thrown this together using spare parts and a roll of duct tape.
DISPLAY AND AUDIO
The Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact is decked out with an 8-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 IPS LCD display (283 ppi). In simpler terms, that means it has a full HD (1080p) screen with a few pixels left over for accommodating the standard Android navigation keys. As is Sony's way, the tablet's graced with several of the company's display technologies, including Triluminos and X-Reality for richer colors and sharper images. Forgetting the trademarks, the panel is, quite simply, gorgeous. Colors are vivid; whites are accurate; and blacks are basically as good as they can be for an LCD display. Viewing angles are excellent, and the panel can also claim fantastic sunlight readability. On a nice day, you'll still get a modicum of glare coming off the glass, but the screen burns bright enough to be easily visible even in strong, direct sunlight.
I didn't expect much from the tablet's stereo speakers. The only clues as to their whereabouts are two slivers of missing plastic above and below the display glass, and I can't say these narrow grilles look particularly functional. I guess it was inevitable that I would be pleasantly surprised, however, given my low expectations. Sound is well-defined, even if it is restricted to the middle and top end, and the speakers kick out more than enough volume to annoy everyone in your train carriage. At approximately 75 percent of maximum volume, though, the tablet begins to vibrate and audio loses all sense of clarity as distortion takes hold. The speakers could be way better, and any semblance of bass whatsoever would be appreciated, but there are also worse ways to watch an episode of your favorite show in bed.
Having had the pleasure of reviewing the excellent Xperia Z3 Compact, I had a hunch the Tablet Compact would be a different animal once a set of headphones was plugged in; and I wasn't wrong. Through headphones, audio is crisp and perfectly balanced, with a healthy bass range to get your head bobbing. There's all manner of technology working away in the background to make sound output as good as it is, such as an audio-resolution upscaling engine, but all you need to concern yourself with is what you want to watch or listen to next. The tablet supports several high-resolution audio formats, too, if you happen to have a particularly fancy digital music catalog.
SOFTWARE
The Z3 Tablet Compact is running Android 4.4.4 KitKat for now, but Sony expects to upgrade the slate to Lollipop (Android version 5.0) in early 2015. Hopefully it won't just be an under-the-hood upgrade, as the company's custom skin could do with an overhaul, too. It's familiar and comfortable enough, as it doesn't stray too far from the stock Android experience, but it could use refining in the same way Z-series hardware has been subtly nipped and tucked over the generations. At this point, it's almost toocolorful and cartoony, given the business-like appearance of Sony's devices themselves.
The firm has something of an ongoing love affair with bloatware that could do with being scaled back, for example. Out of the box, you need to spend a moment clearing the Z3 Tablet Compact's home screen panels of unwanted widgets and shortcuts, before setting it up how you actually want it. The overly cluttered app drawer? Well, that's something you just kinda have to put up with, which isn't a huge deal if you make good use of the home screen carousel. Still, having several different gallery apps and various music and movie players could easily be avoided. You can forgive Sony for preloading its own tablet with homegrown services -- of which there are many -- like Video Unlimited, the Lifelog activity tracker and the PlayStation app. I'm less magnanimous, however, when it comes to more obvious bloatware like the OfficeSuite, AVG antivirus, Kobo, QR code reader and Garmin navigation apps. Thankfully, these are all uninstallable, so they can be easily purged if they're of no use.
Beyond the general verdict that Sony's Android skin is at least intuitive to use, there are a couple of nifty features that also deserve a mention. The baked-in screen-recording function that's accessed via the "shutdown menu" (which pops up after holding down the power key for a second) is neat, even if you don't see yourself using it. Also, the Z3 Tablet Compact supports PS4 Remote Play, meaning you can use it as a wireless screen for your home console as long as both devices are connected to the same WiFi network. Both smartphones in the Z3 series are also capable of this, but it makes way more sense on the tablet due to its significantly larger display.
CAMERA
Sony's Xperia Z2 Tablet plays host to a pretty underwhelming pair of cameras, and unfortunately for those hoping for better this time around, the Z3 Tablet Compact is kitted out identically. I doubt you'll care much that Sony hasn't bothered upgrading the 2.2-megapixel front-facing shooter. I've made many a Skype call on the device with no complaints regarding picture quality from the other end, and I guess if you absolutelyhave to take that opportunistic selfie, you'll just be glad to have a shooter on hand. I understand that cameras just aren't a priority for tablet makers. The smartphone photographer is a much more demanding breed of user, whereas a tablet camera is more of a functional asset -- it's there for when you need it. Still, the quality of the 8.1-megapixel camera with its Exmor RS backside-illuminated sensor on the Z3 Tablet Compact is almost inexcusable, especially as Sony expects you to spend the better part of 500 bucks for the privilege.
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